The title says it best. In Come Fly Away, the new musical conceived, choreographed and directed by Twyla Tharp, set to the vocals of Frank Sinatra, the dancers are often aloft or soaring through the air. There's no dialogue, just an occasional word or phrase. What isn't expressed in dance is told through gesture and facial expression.
If you are a devotee of Sinatra , you will love the way Tharp has incorporated his vocals with the 19 piece live big band onstage. Most of the music, almost all familiar, is sung by Old Blue Eyes himself, and in a couple of the pieces he is "joined" by a live female vocalist. It's as close as you can get to having him there.
The music is quite wonderful, especially when the band, conducted by Russ Kassoff, gets to back up the vocals with some terrific horn playing. Fans will recognize perennial favorites like "Fly Me To The Moon," "It's All Right With Me," "Witchcraft," "Nice and Easy," "Funny Valentine," more than 30 songs in all.
Twyla Tharp shows are known for superb dance, and this show is no exception. She has gathered a group of 15 extremely talented dancers to tell the stories of four couples who meet, flirt, court, fight and love in a nightclub (designed by James Youmans). Come Fly Away works as two separate elements, a concert and a dance performance. However, it's hard to care about the characters and follow the slim story lines.
In a charming pairing, the goofy waiter (Charlie Neshyba-Hodges) falls for a sweet young thing (Laura Mead.) However, his love makes him clumsy and awkward. causing several (athletic) spills and falls. He panics, to the strains of "Makin' Whoopee," fearing commitment. Later on in the night and the show, the same background song is less whimsical, darker and more sensual as couples (including two female dancers) pair off, shed some outer clothing and get intimate.
The second couple feels an initial attraction which eventually build up. The graceful, sexy John Selya (from Movin' Out) and the redheaded, long-limbed Holley Farmer are elegant to watch. Selya's wistful solo dance to "September of My Years" is one of the highlights of the show. However, the most exciting dancer on the stage is Karine Plantadit, whose muscular sinewy body is exhilarating to watch, especially as she slithers catlike across the stage. A cross between Eartha Kitt and Tina Turner, she has animal magnetism and her tempestuous relationship with Keith Roberts is one of passion. Roberts is good but hardly her equal.
Although its separate elements are superb, there's a lack of connection with the characters. In fact, the show grows tedious . How many times can a dancer lift his partner aloft? After the first few pratfalls, the third or fourth isn't as entertaining. Initially the audience is awed at the suppleness of the human body, but then there's little to engage it.
If you love Sinatra, you may enjoy this show and it's an added bonus if you're a fan of "Dancing With the Stars." If it had characters and relationships we could connect to and care about, Come Fly Away could have been as good as Movin' Out. The show should keep you giddy, with a weightless feeling, and it does for awhile, but then you gently sink down to earth.
